The present invention is related generally to methods for positioning optical fibers and is more particularly concerned with such methods which may be performed automatically with a high degree of accuracy.
A recent development in communicaton systems involves the use of optical fibers for very high bandwidth communication channels. The use of such optical fibers, which carry light energy distributed over a small area, has lead to a need for a device which can conveniently and efficiently optically couple a pair of such optical fibers to each other. The difficulty in accomplishing this end is directly attributable to the cross sectional dimensions of the optical fibers. The dimensions of the light carrying portions of the typical optical fiber are on the order of 50 micrometers.
The coupling of optical fibers involves generally precise mechanical control of the alignment of the optical fibers to achieve low coupling losses. Furthermore, for such optical communication systems to be of general utility, the couplers associated therewith must be such as to be adaptable to use in the field. Therefore, the couplers must be rugged, yet simple in construction so as to provide physical protection of the actual optical fibers yet allow for quick and convenient operation of the coupling function.
Such a coupler and a connector for use therewith are disclosed and claimed in a separate patent application entitled "Optical Fiber Connector and Coupler" by Dakss et al., which is filed concurrently with the instant application and which has a common assignee. The optical fiber connector has external surfaces thereon which are finished accurately and which mate with other complimentary surfaces in the coupler body to enable the completed optical fiber coupler to establish highly efficient optical coupling between associated pairs of optical fibers. In one form of the optical fiber coupler, V-grooves are used to support and align the associated pairs of connectors.
In a second separate patent application entitled "Method and Apparatus for Forming Optical Fiber Connectors" by Dakss et al., which is also filed concurrently with the instant application and which has a common assignee, a method for assembling such optical fiber connectors is disclosed and claimed. This method provides for the accurate positioning of the optical fiber within the main body of the optical fiber connector. However, the method described therein is more suitable for manual performance and is not readily adaptable to an automated procedure as is desirable in an industrial environment.